Natalie Bateman
Tell us about your practice
I am a Walbanja-Yuin woman who loves expressing through art. I am a self-taught, full-time painter using acrylics and watercolours.
The kitchen table is my studio, painting around the hustle and bustle of children and every day living.
I love painting in vibrant and uplifting colours. I have found my style in triangles, steering away from ‘dot’ art. Triangles and line work are traditional Yuin art. I have produced graphic design work, murals and facilitated art workshops and commissions.
Bateman’s work is grounded in attentive observation. She studies how weather transforms colours and surfaces, balancing atmospheric washes with confident, expressive strokes. Her practice focuses on capturing mood, light and the lived landscape of Yuin Country.
What have been the main influences on and inspiration for your art making?
My family. My country. The ocean. Life. Everyday living. The animals, night sky, the sun and moon. Loving life.
What effects have these had on your work, both practically and conceptually?
These influences create moods, feelings, emotions, excitement, energy and perception – all these things give me ideas to create and make art.
Winner - Eurobodalla Art Prize 2024
In 2024, Natalie was the recipient of the Eurobodalla Prize in the Basil Sellers Art Prize. Her work was exhibited at the Basil Sellers Exhibition Centre, Moruya, from 7 December 2024 to 1 February 2025. She was announced as the Eurobodalla Prize winner at the exhibition opening on 6 December 2024.
Winning artwork: Ochre Puddles
Medium: Acrylic on paper
Winner — Eurobodalla Prize 2024
Bateman’s winning work, 'Ochre Puddles', was selected for its strong sense of place and sensitive use of colour and light. Through layered acrylic washes and textural detail, she captures the warm ochre tones of soil and stone after rain on Country.